


V for Victory Garden

by SherlockianSyndromes



Series: Prompt Fills 2018 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 10:24:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14353548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianSyndromes/pseuds/SherlockianSyndromes
Summary: Bucky planted another seed and tried not to think about how long it had been since Steve left Wakanda.





	V for Victory Garden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brumeier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/gifts).



> This ficlet was written for a prompt fill on the LJ community [comment_fic](https://comment-fic.livejournal.com/904573.html). The prompt was _Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, gardening_.

Bucky laid the tiny seed into the tilled earth with care, and gently covered it with fresh dirt. This was maybe the twentieth seed he’d put to bed this afternoon, and the steady, measured pace of the work brought him peace in a way not many other things could. He took up his trowel in his right hand and dug a fresh hole in the ground just below the last hole, trying not to overcrowd the seedlings and give them room to grow.

Before planting another seed, Bucky put down his small shovel and wiped the sweat that had beaded on his brow. He breathed in the air of the early Wakandan afternoon. It was warm, but not unbearable - perfect weather for gardening, Bucky thought.

Suddenly, a memory crept up from the repressed darkness in his mind - digging in the dirt before he’d left for the war. Kneeling next to Steve, helping him weed the Victory garden they had planted in an empty Brooklyn lot.

_ Gotta do something to help the war effort, Buck. _

The scent of the dirt. The late afternoon in Brooklyn. Quick glances. Hasty kisses.

And just like that, Bucky returned to the present, as if waking from a dream. The memories of his real life were trickling back slowly, and each time he saw Steve’s young, smiling face, he felt a growing emptiness.

Bucky planted another seed and tried not to think about how long it had been since Steve left Wakanda. T’Challa and Shuri would give Bucky small updates on him, but it was never much. Just that the Captain was all right, and he was helping people.

“White Wolf! White Wolf!”

A Wakandan child came tearing towards him, a bundle of excitement and joy.

“What is it? Is Shuri back?”

The young boy shook his head wildly. “Nomad! It is the Nomad!”

“I don’t know the Nomad,” Bucky said, carefully pushing himself up off the ground. He dusted his right hand off on his robe.

“White Wolf calls him the…the...Captain! The Captain! There he is!” The boy jumped up and down and began pointing toward the path leading further into the village.

Bucky looked up, and his breath hitched in his chest.

It  _ was _ the Captain. Steve.

The boy ran towards Steve and grabbed his arm. “Nomad, I found him! I found White Wolf!”

Steve nodded at him and grinned. “Thank you for finding him for me.” The boy nodded and ran back toward the center of the village, where the other children were playing.

Bucky couldn’t believe his eyes, but here was Steve standing right in front of him. Alive. Real. And with a beard that would put a lumberjack to shame.

“Hey Buck.”

Bucky exhaled. “Hi.”

A slow grin spread across Steve’s face. “White Wolf?”

Bucky shrugged. “The kids started calling me that, and Shuri just egged them on, so it kind of stuck.”

Steve nodded and took a few steps closer. He stared at Bucky with those indescribable blue eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation from Bucky.

Bucky grabbed Steve with his good arm and pulled him into an embrace. Steve wrapped his arms around him, and it felt like he was going to squeeze all the air from Bucky’s lungs, but Bucky didn’t mind.

“Missed you Cap.”

They pulled away from each other, and Bucky gestured toward the plot of dirt he’d been working at all afternoon.

“Care to join me?”

Steve nodded. They both walked over, knelt down in the loose dirt, and began gardening together.

After a few rounds of digging, Bucky heard Steve chuckling to himself.

“What’s funny?”

Steve shook his head and he tried to hide the shy smile on his face. “I was just thinking about -”

“The Rogers and Barnes Victory Garden?”

He could tell Steve was shocked, but Bucky watched as Steve’s facial features melted into familiarity. Nostalgia. Longing.

Bucky began digging another hole. “I remembered it right before you showed up.”

Steve nudged Bucky with his elbow. “Maybe you’ll remember even more now that I’m here.”

Bucky smiled and planted another seed. “I hope so, Steve.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope I didn't drop into Wakanda and wreck up the place. Also, thinking about Steve and Bucky working in their Victory garden makes me very happy.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
